Nuka
Nuka is Scar and Zira's son and the elder half-brother of Kovu and Vitani. Nuka means "stink" in Swahili. Personality Nuka is shown to be cowardly, somewhat stupid and slightly neurotic. However, he has an inflated opinion of himself, as he claims to be the strongest and the smartest. Considering his feelings of inadequacy and bitterness over his pride's favoritism towards Kovu, however, it is likely his egotism is, in fact, a defense mechanism to shield his insecurities and grant himself a sense of self worth. Because he is neglected by Zira in favor of Kovu, Nuka is shown to have a strong dislike and envy of his younger brother. Nuka also desires to please his mother, in order to get her attention, which eventually leads to his downfall. This makes him somewhat of a tragic figure as he is motivated by a longing for the praise and love Kovu receives from Zira more than anything else. In addition, it is also implied that he has some mental and emotional inestability, including pyromania, as evidenced by when, before proceeding to burn a large part of the Pride Lands to trick Simba into allowing Kovu into the pride as part of Zira's plan, he shouts "Woo! Fire!" Nuka also has a sarcastic side, sarcastically calling Kovu "The Chosen One" when out of sight, and a wicked side to him cutting a branch Vitani is pulling only to give a wicked laugh when she falls backwards. At the end, Nuka gets the courage to go after Simba himself, but it costs him his life. Physical appearance Nuka has greyish-brown fur, a straggly black mane, and a goatee like Scar's. He has uniquely goofy features and bent whiskers. Nuka is extremely mangy and is infested with termites as an adolescent. He keeps his front claws unsheathed, a trait seen in all the Outsiders. Judging from the thickness of his mane in his first appearance, he would be about a year and a half old. Despite being older than Kovu, his mane does not grow in as thickly - a trait seen in real lions, where stronger lions usually have thicker, fuller manes. Dark Shadows Disney In the films The Lion King II: Simba's Pride Nuka is an envious youth who tries much too hard and is not taken seriously. He is bitter about being passed over for succession to the throne in favour of the younger Kovu, and deeply jealous of Zira's greater affection shown towards his brother. He constantly seeks his mother's approval and has an apparent tendency for pyromania, taking manic pleasure from lighting a fire in the grassland. During Simba's ambush, Nuka tries to kill him to prove himself to his mother, but is lethally crushed by falling logs. Ironically when Zira attacks Simba, Nuka dies at the same site where Mufasa dies in the first movie. After his death, Zira mourns him and asks Scar to watch over him, then later blames Kovu for Nuka's demise. In the film, Nuka is shown at the home of the Outsiders, arguing with his younger sister, Vitani, over Kovu. Nuka has apparently left Kovu alone, despite being asked to baby-sit him, and it is implied that this happens often. Nuka expresses his jealousy over Kovu's position as Scar's chosen heir, as he was passed over despite being the oldest of Zira's children. He states his intention to tell his mother that he should be the heir, but quickly backs down after Zira returns and scolds him for not watching Kovu. Nuka watches as Zira makes a plan to have Kovu get close to Kiara so that Kovu can eventually kill Simba. When Zira lavishes a praising comparision of Kovu to Scar to the cub for his supposed brilliance Nuka groans in disgust only to be silenced by a growl from Zira and mutters bitterly, "Chosen one," as the two make their leave. Though Nuka likes the idea of killing Simba, he shows displeasure when Kovu's part in the plot is mentioned. Nuka's next major appearance is as an adult, wandering the elephant graveyard with Vitani. The two have been tasked with setting a wildfire while Simba's daughter, Kiara, is out on her first hunt. He expresses revulsion at their surroundings denying Vitani's dismissal of his repulsion as fear. He is shown to continue to resent Kovu's position as a heir and his mother's favoritism towards him. Zira's plot is to have Kovu rescue Kiara from the fire, to allow Kovu to get close to Simba and kill him. The plan is successful, as Kovu saves Kiara from the wildfire, and is allowed to return to the Pride Lands. Nuka secretly follows the pride alongside his mother, in order to spy on Kovu. While the two are watching Kovu's conversation with Kiara, Nuka furiously reacts when he makes no attempt to kill her but his mother hushes his protests noting that with Kovu and Kiara growing closer their goal of Simba's death is close to being reached. When it appears that Kovu is beginning to have second thoughts about his role in Zira's plot, Nuka accompanies the Outsiders as part of an ambush, to try to kill Simba. As Zira orders the attack, Nuka is the first to tackle Simba, yet is swatted away. Simba is then cornered in a ravine and is forced to climb a log dam to escape. When Kovu refuses Zira's order to kill Simba, Nuka impulsively decides to do it himself. However, while briefly grabbing Simba's ankle, Nuka slips and falls, ending up being crushed under several logs. Kovu rushes forward to dig him out, but is knocked aside by the frantic Zira, who finishes the job herself. Nuka succumbs to his injuries, after apologizing to his mother for his failure. Zira then asks Scar to watch over Nuka. Ironically, through his death, he finally gains his mother's attention and affection, and Zira blames Kovu for Nuka's death by slashing him across the face, which leaves him with a scar on his face. The film draws parallels between the relationships of Scar and Mufasa and Nuka and Kovu. Scar became jealous of Mufasa's kingship and Simba's potential passage to the throne, which left him out of the direct succession. Nuka has similar feelings towards Kovu, but as he is less intelligent and more cowardly than Scar was, and also because he desires to gain his mother's approval, his jealousy comes across as more 'goofy' than evil. Other He has a special scent of. He has the voice of Andy Dick performing as Nuka in The Lion King II. If we could choose for him a song it would be . QuotesCategory:Characters